Epidemiology of COVID-19 in a Long-Term Care Facility in King County, Washington

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baer A ; Bardossy AC ; Brostrom-Smith C ; Chow EJ ; Clark S ; Clark TA ; Currie DW ; Duchin JS ; Ferro J ; Hiatt B ; Honein MA ; Hughes MJ ; Jacobs JR ; Jernigan JA ; Kawakami V ; Kay M ; Lewis J ; Lukoff MD ; McMichael TM ; Montgomery P ; Oakley LP ; Pogosjans S ; Rao AK ; Rea TM ; Reddy SC ; Riedo FX ; Russell D ; Sayre MR ; Schwartz NG ; Stone ND ; Tobolowsky F
• Corporate Authors:
  CDC COVID-19 Investigation Team ; Seattle-King County Dept. of Public Health ; EvergreenHealth
• Description:
  BACKGROUND: Long-term care facilities are high-risk settings for severe outcomes from outbreaks of Covid-19, owing to both the advanced age and frequent chronic underlying health conditions of the residents and the movement of health care personnel among facilities in a region. METHODS: After identification on February 28, 2020, of a confirmed case of Covid-19 in a skilled nursing facility in King County, Washington, Public Health-Seattle and King County, aided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched a case investigation, contact tracing, quarantine of exposed persons, isolation of confirmed and suspected cases, and on-site enhancement of infection prevention and control. RESULTS: As of March 18, a total of 167 confirmed cases of Covid-19 affecting 101 residents, 50 health care personnel, and 16 visitors were found to be epidemiologically linked to the facility. Most cases among residents included respiratory illness consistent with Covid-19; however, in 7 residents no symptoms were documented. Hospitalization rates for facility residents, visitors, and staff were 54.5%, 50.0%, and 6.0%, respectively. The case fatality rate for residents was 33.7% (34 of 101). As of March 18, a total of 30 long-term care facilities with at least one confirmed case of Covid-19 had been identified in King County. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of rapidly escalating Covid-19 outbreaks, proactive steps by long-term care facilities to identify and exclude potentially infected staff and visitors, actively monitor for potentially infected patients, and implement appropriate infection prevention and control measures are needed to prevent the introduction of Covid-19. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Communicable Diseases Epidemiology Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Public Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Safety Viral Diseases

  More +
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Case Reports Disease Control Disease Transmission Health Care Facilities Health Care Personnel Health Care Workers Humans Infection Control Infection Prevention Infectious Diseases Isolation Medical Monitoring Medical Screening Nursing Preventive Measures Public Health Quarantine Respiratory System Disorders Risk Management Viral Diseases Viral Infections

  More +
• ISSN:
  0028-4793
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Georgia ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  382
• Issue:
  21
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059312
• Citation:
  N Engl J Med 2020 May; 382(21):2005-2011
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Honein at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy., NE, Mailstop S-106-3, Atlanta, GA 30341
• Email:
  mhonein@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  New England Journal of Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f60bcc1353f5688d9eb8c67ce93facbc688fa4ee5a2c8f96be4611f07056fe1b65ad005ab1018e6395bb14ce64eb96607f5b23635b1784006fc1ff425098f4b8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223580/cdc_223580_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 514.17 KB ]